§258ΣΩ. οὐ μανθάνεις ὅτι ἐν ἀρχῇ ἀνδρὸς πολιτικοῦ πρῶτος ὁ ἐπαινέτης γέγραπται.
SOCRATES: Do you not understand that at the beginning of a politician's written decree, first of all, the name of his praiser is written?
ΦΑΙ. πῶς;
PHAEDRUS: How so?
ΣΩ.
ἔδοξέ
πού φησιν
τῇ βουλῇ
ἢ
τῷ δήμῳ
ἢ ἀμφοτέροις, καὶ
ὃς καὶ ὃς εἶπεν
—τὸν αὑτὸν δὴ λέγων μάλα σεμνῶς καὶ ἐγκωμιάζων ὁ συγγραφεύς—ἔπειτα λέγει δὴ μετὰ τοῦτο, ἐπιδεικνύμενος τοῖς ἐπαινέταις τὴν ἑαυτοῦ σοφίαν, ἐνίοτε πάνυ μακρὸν ποιησάμενος σύγγραμμα· ἤ σοι ἄλλο τι φαίνεται τὸ τοιοῦτον ἢ λόγος συγγεγραμμένος;
SOCRATES: "It seemed good," it says somewhere, "to the council or to the people, or to both," and "so-and-so proposed"—by which the writer refers to himself very solemnly and praises himself—and then after this he speaks, displaying his own wisdom to his praisers, sometimes having made a very long document; does such a thing seem to you to be anything else than a written speech?
ΦΑΙ. οὐκ ἔμοιγε.
PHAEDRUS: Not to me, indeed.
ΣΩ. οὐκοῦν ἐὰν μὲν οὗτος ἐμμένῃ, γεγηθὼς ἀπέρχεται ἐκ τοῦ θεάτρου ὁ ποιητής· ἐὰν δὲ ἐξαλειφθῇ καὶ ἄμοιρος γένηται λογογραφίας τε καὶ τοῦ ἄξιος εἶναι συγγράφειν, πενθεῖ αὐτός τε καὶ οἱ ἑταῖροι.
SOCRATES: Therefore, if this decree remains, the poet departs from the theater rejoicing; but if it is erased and he is deprived of speech-writing and of being worthy of writing documents, both he and his companions mourn.
ΦΑΙ. καὶ μάλα.
PHAEDRUS: Very much so.
ΣΩ. δῆλόν γε ὅτι οὐχ ὡς ὑπερφρονοῦντες τοῦ ἐπιτηδεύματος, ἀλλʼ ὡς τεθαυμακότες.
SOCRATES: It is clear, then, that they do so not as looking down on the practice, but as admiring it.
ΦΑΙ. πάνυ μὲν οὖν.
PHAEDRUS: Quite so.
ΣΩ. τί δέ;
SOCRATES: What then?
ὅταν ἱκανὸς γένηται ῥήτωρ ἢ βασιλεύς, ὥστε λαβὼν τὴν Λυκούργου ἢ Σόλωνος ἢ Δαρείου δύναμιν ἀθάνατος γενέσθαι λογογράφος ἐν πόλει, ἆρʼ οὐκ ἰσόθεον ἡγεῖται αὐτός τε αὑτὸν ἔτι ζῶν, καὶ οἱ ἔπειτα γιγνόμενοι ταὐτὰ ταῦτα περὶ αὐτοῦ νομίζουσι, θεώμενοι αὐτοῦ τὰ συγγράμματα;
When a rhetor or a king becomes capable, so that taking the power of Lycurgus or Solon or Darius, he becomes an immortal speech-writer in a city, does he not consider himself equal to the gods while still living, and do not those who come after think these very same things about him when they gaze upon his writings?
ΦΑΙ. καὶ μάλα.
PHAEDRUS: Very much so.
ΣΩ. οἴει τινὰ οὖν τῶν τοιούτων, ὅστις καὶ ὁπωστιοῦν δύσνους Λυσίᾳ, ὀνειδίζειν αὐτὸ τοῦτο ὅτι συγγράφει;
SOCRATES: Do you think, then, that any of such men, whoever is in any way ill-disposed toward Lysias, would reproach him for this very thing, that he writes?
ΦΑΙ. οὔκουν εἰκός γε ἐξ ὧν σὺ λέγεις· καὶ γὰρ ἂν τῇ ἑαυτοῦ ἐπιθυμίᾳ, ὡς ἔοικεν, ὀνειδίζοι.
PHAEDRUS: It is indeed not likely, from what you say; for he would, it seems, be reproducing his own desire.
ΣΩ. τοῦτο μὲν ἄρα παντὶ δῆλον, ὅτι οὐκ αἰσχρὸν αὐτό γε τὸ γράφειν λόγους.
SOCRATES: This, then, is clear to everyone: that writing speeches itself is not shameful.
ΦΑΙ. τί γάρ;
PHAEDRUS: Why should it be?
ΣΩ. ἀλλʼ ἐκεῖνο οἶμαι αἰσχρὸν ἤδη, τὸ μὴ καλῶς λέγειν τε καὶ γράφειν ἀλλʼ αἰσχρῶς τε καὶ κακῶς.
SOCRATES: But that, I think, is indeed shameful, namely, speaking and writing not well, but shamefully and badly.
ΦΑΙ. δῆλον δή.
PHAEDRUS: That is indeed clear.
ΣΩ. τίς οὖν ὁ τρόπος τοῦ καλῶς τε καὶ μὴ γράφειν;
SOCRATES: What then is the way of writing well and not?
δεόμεθά τι, ὦ Φαῖδρε, Λυσίαν τε περὶ τούτων ἐξετάσαι καὶ ἄλλον ὅστις πώποτέ τι γέγραφεν ἢ γράψει, εἴτε πολιτικὸν σύγγραμμα εἴτε ἰδιωτικόν, ἐν μέτρῳ ὡς ποιητὴς ἢ ἄνευ μέτρου ὡς ἰδιώτης;
Do we need at all, Phaedrus, to examine Lysias on these matters, and anyone else who has ever written or will write anything, whether a political document or a private one, in meter as a poet or without meter as a private citizen?
ΦΑΙ. ἐρωτᾷς εἰ δεόμεθα;
PHAEDRUS: You ask if we need to?
τίνος μὲν οὖν ἕνεκα κἄν τις ὡς εἰπεῖν ζῴη, ἀλλʼ ἢ τῶν τοιούτων ἡδονῶν ἕνεκα;
For what else indeed, so to speak, would anyone live, if not for the sake of such pleasures?
οὐ γάρ που ἐκείνων γε ὧν προλυπηθῆναι δεῖ ἢ μηδὲ ἡσθῆναι, ὃ δὴ ὀλίγου πᾶσαι αἱ περὶ τὸ σῶμα ἡδοναὶ ἔχουσι· διὸ καὶ δικαίως ἀνδραποδώδεις κέκληνται.
For surely not for the sake of those pleasures which must be preceded by pain, or else not be enjoyed at all, which is the case with almost all the pleasures concerning the body; wherefore they are also justly called slavish.
§259ΣΩ. σχολὴ μὲν δή, ὡς ἔοικε· καὶ ἅμα μοι δοκοῦσιν ὡς ἐν τῷ πνίγει ὑπὲρ κεφαλῆς ἡμῶν οἱ τέττιγες ᾁδοντες καὶ ἀλλήλοις διαλεγόμενοι καθορᾶν καὶ ἡμᾶς.
SOCRATES: We have leisure, indeed, as it seems; and at the same time, it seems to me that the cicadas, singing above our heads in the heat and conversing with one another, are looking down on us as well.
εἰ οὖν ἴδοιεν καὶ νὼ καθάπερ τοὺς πολλοὺς ἐν μεσημβρίᾳ μὴ διαλεγομένους ἀλλὰ νυστάζοντας καὶ κηλουμένους ὑφʼ αὑτῶν διʼ ἀργίαν τῆς διανοίας, δικαίως ἂν καταγελῷεν, ἡγούμενοι ἀνδράποδʼ ἄττα σφίσιν ἐλθόντα εἰς τὸ καταγώγιον ὥσπερ προβάτια μεσημβριάζοντα περὶ τὴν κρήνην εὕδειν· ἐὰν δὲ ὁρῶσι διαλεγομένους καὶ παραπλέοντάς σφας ὥσπερ Σειρῆνας ἀκηλήτους, ὃ γέρας παρὰ θεῶν ἔχουσιν ἀνθρώποις διδόναι, τάχʼ ἂν δοῖεν ἀγασθέντες.
If, then, they should see us two as well, just like the many, not conversing in the midday but dozing and being enchanted by them through laziness of mind, they would justly laugh at us, thinking that some slaves had come to their resting place to sleep like sheep resting at noon around the spring; but if they see us conversing and sailing past them as if they were Sirens without being enchanted, they might perhaps, in admiration, give us the gift which they have from the gods to give to humans.
ΦΑΙ. ἔχουσι δὲ δὴ τί τοῦτο;
PHAEDRUS: What is this gift that they have?
ἀνήκοος γάρ, ὡς ἔοικε, τυγχάνω ὤν.
For I happen to be unheard of it, as it seems.
ΣΩ. οὐ μὲν δὴ πρέπει γε φιλόμουσον ἄνδρα τῶν τοιούτων ἀνήκοον εἶναι.
SOCRATES: It is indeed not fitting for a lover of the Muses to be unheard of such things.
λέγεται δʼ ὥς ποτʼ ἦσαν οὗτοι ἄνθρωποι τῶν πρὶν μούσας γεγονέναι, γενομένων δὲ Μουσῶν καὶ φανείσης ᾠδῆς οὕτως ἄρα τινὲς τῶν τότε ἐξεπλάγησαν ὑφʼ ἡδονῆς, ὥστε ᾁδοντες ἠμέλησαν σίτων τε καὶ ποτῶν, καὶ ἔλαθον τελευτήσαντες αὑτούς·
It is said that these were once humans before the Muses came to be; but when the Muses were born and song appeared, some of those of that time were so shocked by pleasure that in singing they neglected food and drink, and died without noticing it.
ἐξ ὧν τὸ τεττίγων γένος μετʼ ἐκεῖνο φύεται, γέρας τοῦτο παρὰ Μουσῶν λαβόν, μηδὲν τροφῆς δεῖσθαι γενόμενον, ἀλλʼ ἄσιτόν τε καὶ ἄποτον εὐθὺς ᾁδειν, ἕως ἂν τελευτήσῃ, καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα ἐλθὸν παρὰ μούσας ἀπαγγέλλειν τίς τίνα αὐτῶν τιμᾷ τῶν ἐνθάδε.
From these, the race of cicadas grew after that, having received this gift from the Muses: to need no nourishment once they are born, but to sing immediately without food and without drink until they die, and after that, going to the Muses, to report who honors which of them among those here.
Τερψιχόρᾳ μὲν οὖν τοὺς ἐν τοῖς χοροῖς τετιμηκότας αὐτὴν ἀπαγγέλλοντες ποιοῦσι προσφιλεστέρους, τῇ δὲ Ἐρατοῖ τοὺς ἐν τοῖς ἐρωτικοῖς, καὶ ταῖς ἄλλαις οὕτως, κατὰ τὸ εἶδος ἑκάστης τιμῆς·
To Terpsichore, then, by reporting those who have honored her in the dances, they make them more beloved; and to Erato, those who have honored her in love affairs; and to the others likewise, according to the form of honor of each.
τῇ δὲ πρεσβυτάτῃ Καλλιόπῃ καὶ τῇ μετʼ αὐτὴν Οὐρανίᾳ τοὺς ἐν φιλοσοφίᾳ διάγοντάς τε καὶ τιμῶντας τὴν ἐκείνων μουσικὴν ἀγγέλλουσιν, αἳ δὴ μάλιστα τῶν Μουσῶν περί τε οὐρανὸν καὶ λόγους οὖσαι θείους τε καὶ ἀνθρωπίνους ἱᾶσιν καλλίστην φωνήν.
And to the oldest, Calliope, and to the one after her, Urania, they report those who spend their lives in philosophy and honor their music, since these Muses, most of all, being concerned with heaven and with discourses both divine and human, send forth the most beautiful voice.
πολλῶν δὴ οὖν ἕνεκα λεκτέον τι καὶ οὐ καθευδητέον ἐν τῇ μεσημβρίᾳ.
For many reasons, therefore, we must say something and not sleep in the midday.
ΦΑΙ. λεκτέον γὰρ οὖν.
PHAEDRUS: We must indeed speak.
ΣΩ. οὐκοῦν, ὅπερ νῦν προυθέμεθα σκέψασθαι, τὸν λόγον ὅπῃ καλῶς ἔχει λέγειν τε καὶ γράφειν καὶ ὅπῃ μή, σκεπτέον.
SOCRATES: Therefore, what we just proposed to consider, namely, in what way a speech is well spoken and written, and in what way not, must be considered.
ΦΑΙ. δῆλον.
PHAEDRUS: Clearly.
ΣΩ. ἆρʼ οὖν οὐχ ὑπάρχειν δεῖ τοῖς εὖ γε καὶ καλῶς ῥηθησομένοις τὴν τοῦ λέγοντος διάνοιαν εἰδυῖαν τὸ ἀληθὲς ὧν ἂν ἐρεῖν πέρι μέλλῃ;
SOCRATES: Must there not then be present, for what is to be spoken well and beautifully, the mind of the speaker knowing the truth of those things about which he is going to speak?